


Cat Cursed

by TheStarfishAlien



Series: Cursed Sins [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Bisexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng is The Hill I Will Die On, Cat Curse, Cats, Curses, Developing Friendships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Isolation, OOC Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Other, Selectively Mute Marinette Dupain-Cheng, cat shenanigans, family curse, selective mutism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:21:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27245662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStarfishAlien/pseuds/TheStarfishAlien
Summary: The Cheng family carries a curse. Every other generation carries a second form, that of a cat. Their dual nature makes it difficult for those with the curse to fit in with society. Some flee permanently into the form of the cat, while others try their hardest to pretend that their cat form does not exist. Very few find a balance in the middle.Marinette struggles to find where and what she truly wants to be.Damian finds a cat.Both seriousness and shenanigans ensue.
Relationships: Bridgette/Félix (Miraculous Ladybug PV), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Series: Cursed Sins [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735339
Comments: 180
Kudos: 692





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Restricted Work] by [ali_kitkat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ali_kitkat/pseuds/ali_kitkat). Log in to view. 



> This is a rambling little story I work on when I'm feeling tired of Balance is as Balance Does. I probably won't post the rest of this until I finish it.  
> This fic is stand-alone. Sins Intangible is not related to this other than dealing in curses.

Blessed were the days that Marinette Dupain-Cheng spent as a cat. As the days went on, the tyranny of Lila Rossi had turned Marinette's happy friend-filled days of humanity into a hell of isolation. It was ironically funny in Marinette's opinion. She'd gone from running from her cursed cat form trying her hardest to pretend she was human, to slinking away into some dark corner so she could run the streets of Paris in feline form at the nearest chance.

Perhaps the true curse was indeed for her parents, who watched Marinette's humanity slip further away. And perhaps that was the intention behind their family curse all along.

Perhaps that was why, when her parents suggested that Marinette go live with her cousin in Gotham to attend university, she didn't argue or mind in the least. Marinette slowly slipped further away from interacting with people. She rarely spoke, slipped in and out with barely a notice, and never stuck around. 

Lately, human skin even felt itchy and uncomfortable. She shifted, uncomfortable in the seat of her cousin, Bridgette's car. She remembered, it wasn't Bridgette's car but her boyfriend Felix. Bridgette's small concerned glances did not go unnoticed.

Marinette slipped out of the apartment and out of a human form as soon as possible. She had a smoke coat, blue-black with white roots, that allowed her to blend with the dark alleys and shadows of Gotham.

As time went on, sometimes she would clamor her way onto a roof and scent the wind. She remembered how it felt to be Ladybug, swinging and leaping from roof to roof. She remembered how the destruction miraculous sang to her. Black cat calling to black cat and she now wondered why she was ever given the creation miraculous. 

The answer was obvious. Guardian Fu hadn't known about her family's curse when he gave out the miraculous. He hadn't known the powers at play would always drag her to the side of chaos eventually.

Bridgette would come find her sometimes, but Marinette's cousin had never taken to the cat form like she herself had. If anything, Bridgette was like a pampered house cat with no claws, figuratively, and no idea of the world outside. It had gotten her swiped by a stray alley cat once. Marinette made sure to claim the area as her own after that.

Marinette knew exactly why her parents had sent her to live with Bridgette. They had vainly hoped that Bridgette a well balanced child of their family's curse would be able to get Marinette to open up and become more human.

The only human thing that Marinette refused to give up, was her drawing and designing. Any moment she wasn't a cat, was spent with pencil on paper or fabric in her hands. Commissions were her main form of income now, but she was doing well off of them. It was a job that required only a small amount of human interaction. 

When speaking became more difficult, Marinette hired someone to work the public front with her clients. She took measurements, made adjustments, but rarely spoke. If someone got too nosy, they were told that Marinette had a hereditary illness that made it difficult to speak. Technically not a lie if you call a family curse, an illness. It was hereditary.

There were a few clients who seemed to prefer her cool clinical silence. She wasn't skulking around. Her confidence in her demeanor never changed. She knew what she was doing. Quite a few of her more wealthy clients appreciated her not fawning over them or chatting like old friends.

Work progressed for Marinette Dupain-Cheng and university was something that may come later, if she so decided.

She knew she couldn't continue in this fashion for forever. At some point, like countless ancestors before her, Marinette would have to make a decision.

Human?

Or cat?


	2. Cat-napped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat-napped...and a cat's vengeance for being dragged off forcefully.  
> aka  
> Marinette terrorizes the Wayne household.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damian's going to feel out of character here because I hc that he probably behaves very softly towards animals and Marinette is nothing but a cat in his eyes at the moment.
> 
> Also, y'all's comments about Cat Marinette interacting with the Wayne house members had me goin back and beefin this section up. Don't worry, I had nothing but fun doing this.

Nighttime in Gotham was often her favorite time. There were less people out to try to chase her off and no one to stare at her on the roofs. She had become proficient at roof hopping in feline form and was unused to any sort of human audience.

Perhaps that was why she was so startled at being snatched mid-air, mid-jump. She was willing to admit that she let out a rather ungraceful yowl and sunk her claws into the... **Person?!**

A person had just grabbed her mid-air. Her claws did not bring the expected reaction as her cat-napper landed on a nearby roof. She had a solid hold on his outfit, but her claws did not pierce the suit this man was wearing.

Marinette was snarling and hissing at the man holding her. He was a vigilante, that much she did know. She was trying to pull her claws free of his suit and her inability to do so was causing panic to rise up very quickly. The man made soft crooning noises in...Arabic, Marinette was fairly certain he was speaking Arabic "Hey cute sweet kitty" phrases. You know the type. The baby talk to animals that most everyone takes on with cute critters.

Marinette wasn't offended and in fact, his voice was helping her calm down. Besides, she knew her coat was a very pleasing color and took pride in the fact that she could get most people to call her pretty. He carefully used his other hand to gently remove her entrapped claws.

She decided that swatting him in the face before both paws were free, would be a rather foolish decision. So she waited, patient and still until the exact moment her paws were all free.

In a rather amazing feat of agility she managed to rake her claws across his jawline. His surprise was almost enough to allow her escape.

Almost...

She hissed again as he pinned her lower on his body, out of reach of any bare skin, but she'd had her fill. The scratch was more in retaliation for his rude introduction.

Her ear twitched as she could hear the laughing and teasing that was going on through the man's comm. And she heard him sigh and say something about sitting and waiting for them all to arrive.

Then he sat in the middle of the roof and settled Marinette into his lap. His expression became soft again.

"There Lady, see? I'm not so bad. I didn't mean to scare you," he crooned as he began to pet Marinette. She let out a talkative half growl to air her complaint. He only chuckled. "I'm sorry Lady. See you are a smart Lady. You don't look like a stray and I know you aren't one of Selina's. Who would let their pretty Lady run off on her own?"

The foolish man even brought his face down to nuzzle her soft fur. She allowed it...and truly, she liked affection from humans. She always had, even before she turned to her feline form. She had sought it in her human form through friends. Now she sought it from random strangers who saw a gorgeous, friendly cat and sang beautiful praises to her.

She had never really changed, only adapted.

This man, this vigilante, held her in a soft and reverent manner. It was different from how most people gave their overwhelming affection. She gave him and encouraging purr, which was the wrong thing to do.

Next thing she knew, the other vigilantes were there and the man holding her was insisting that they take her home and keep her until her owner came forward. She had made a few more futile attempts to escape to freedom, but ultimately ended up in a large manor, with another cat eyeing her warily.

Alfred, the cat, took a keen interest in Marinette. He had decided that she was just human and just cat enough to warrant his undivided love and attention.

It was absolutely exasperating. Even the man who had taken her in, wouldn't save her from the incessant rubbing and grooming that Alfred subjected her to. Since the man, Damian she was pretty sure his name was, though she tried her best not to pry any deeper than that, would not aid her she decided that she would make herself a very large nuisance to him.

She gleefully sat on his chest when he was trying to sleep. She found it odd but handy that he slept flat on his back, arms on his stomach like a corpse. He would come in from patrol to collapse in bed and sleep only to have Marinette leap up on the bed and sit herself directly on his upper chest, staring down at him intensely. So even if he could ignore the not inconsiderable weight of his Lady, her stare would burrow into him and make it difficult for him to rest. It did end, more often than not, with Marinette accidentally falling asleep, but it certainly bothered him. She could feel his mild irritation and the tiredness in his eyes when he got up the next day.

She got into anything she possibly could reach or mess with, cords were a fan favorite. Sometimes settling for racing around the manor just after all the vigilantes settled in for bed. Their combined irritation served to bring her immense satisfaction though the butler/rule enforcer Alfred the man was apparently a very skillful cat wrangler.

She loved stealing people food. Partly to eat, since she refused cat food. Once again, Alfred the man managed to foil most of her plotting in regards to kitchen raids, but the table at breakfast time was most certainly fair game.

She landed among a clatter of dishes, sending them tilting out of her way as she sprang for Tim's plate. He was always weakest right before he had his coffee. She tipped it, leaving him in a zombified dismay as she stole both a piece of bacon and an egg. The egg only losing a few pieces as she sprang free of the table and darted to one of her secret eating corners. She kept her ears pricked and settled in smugly as she heard the groaning and laughter over her morning routine.

Cassandra dropped silently next to Marinette and offered her another piece of bacon, a smile on the quiet young woman's face. Marinette made sure to rub her face along Cass' hand before taking the second piece of bacon and adding it to her pile. She had a feeling that Cass saw through Marinette. To what degree, the cat could not be certain.

At the end of nearly a week, Bridgette finally found her. Marinette felt guilty. She probably could have managed to escape the manor if she tried, but she also knew that she was likely to get very very lost. Not to mention, she wasn't too keen on changing back and having to find her way through Gotham naked.

Damian snagged Marinette from the kitchen counter and brought her to the main foyer. He was gently petting and sweetening her up. He called her Lady and kept his fondness for her no matter how much she terrorized him. A true animal lover that one, so she responded now to his affections with her own licks of apology over his healing scratch marks.

"Marinette..."

She twisted suddenly at the sound of the familiar voice. Bridgette was hiding her scandalized shock fairly well, but Marinette could read her cousin and she knew the reason for the reaction. Bridgette was always more human than cat.

Then suddenly Bridgette was tearing up.

"Oh Mari," she softly cried and tears were slipping down her face now. "I'm so sorry." Her words were weighted, and the family Marinette had been staying with were picking up the oddity of it, so she hissed a warning to her cousin.

"Lady's name is Marinette then?" Damian was watching Marinette now with curiosity and he set her gently on the floor.

"Oh...yes. I know it's a sort of odd name. My aunt got her in France and gifted her to me," Bridgette replied easily. Her concerned, but relieved gaze was still fixed on Marinette. She knelt down.

"Please come home, Mari." She didn't need to say that much. Marinette knew she couldn't keep living as a cat in this manor. She was going stir crazy without her usual distractions, so she trotted dutifully over and sat before Bridgette awaiting her lecture. Though if Bridgette was smart she would wait until they were on their way home.

Marinette turned her head to gaze at Damian a moment more. Her moment of silent goodbye was interrupted by Alfred...

...the cat.

He immediately came over, growled a bit at Bridgette before beginning his usual aggressive rubbing of faces and started to bathe Marinette. She growled lowly at him and sent a pleading look to Bridgette.

Bridgette slapped her hand to her mouth in an attempt to tame her giggles. It wasn't working. The others were very confused as to why exactly the situation was so funny. Marinette hissed reproachfully at her cousin and attempted to gently fend off Alfred's advances. She gave Bridgette an insistent meow and the woman finally pulled her laughter under control enough to speak again.

"I'm sorry, Mari," she teased in a baby sweet voice. "Did another cat deign to touch you?" She nearly doubled over laughing again so Marinette fled back to Damian and leaped easily to his shoulder, sending one last warning hiss down to Alfred the cat.

Marinette allowed Damian's gentle touches soothe her irritation and settled in his arms.

Bridgette finally got her own mirth under control and stood, apologizing to everyone.

"I'm so sorry about that. She doesn't like other cats to touch her, so it is rather funny to see her so at a loss. She is quite the character isn't she?"

"Oh yes," one of the brothers spoke. Marinette was fairly certain that his name was Dick. "I don't think she was happy about Damian's decision to bring her home with us. She terrorized him every chance she had and got herself into anything around the house that she could reach."

Bridgette gave Marinette a rather horrified glance.

"Oh...Oh I'm so sorry. She's not like that at home. She gets outside every chance she can, but that's about it. I finally installed bars in one of my windows so I could leave it open at night. She knows her way home, so if you happen to see her out again you can leave her be," Bridgette explained. It was the most convenient excuse since, she's a human and knows how to handle herself is not a very normal response.

"It's dangerous at night, even for cats," Damian insisted.

"So I keep telling her," Bridgette muttered under her breath. Then her smile returned full force. "If I could convince her to stay in, I would. She tends to slip right out the door before you can stop her and she always comes home by morning. As we were talking about earlier, I saw her slip out the night you picked her up."

"Alright, if we're out again and we see her, we'll leave her to her own devices," Dick agreed with his typical grin. At his gesture, Damian handed Marinette off to Bridgette.

"Thank you again for looking after her. I'm sorry she was such trouble. Maybe I'll have her wear a collar or something in the future. I hope you all have a good day, thank you again," Bridgette spoke her cheerful goodbyes and Marinette sat quietly in her arms. The ride back to Felix's car was met with terse silence on Bridgette's part. Her smile had faded.

Felix was waiting in the driver's seat as Bridgette dropped Marinette into the backseat, which contained a full outfit for Marinette. Bridgette sighed in the passenger seat, buckling her seat belt.

"Marinette..." she began, but trailed off her concerned gaze felt like it was burning holes in the feline's coat. Marinette shifted as they left the gate of Wayne Manor. She shimmied into her clothing with practiced ease, but remained silent.

"We were worried," Felix spoke evenly. Bridgette silently passed a hair brush to her cousin. Marinette sent them an apologetic look. It would likely be a few days before she regained a handle on speaking.

"Marinette..." Bridgette tried again. "Can you...Would you be willing to stay human for at least a few days?"

Marinette puffed a resigned sigh before nodding. She knew she would have to spend most of a week in human form just to catch up on her commissions. She flexed unfamiliar fingers as she thought. Marinette knew, deep down, that she would never truly be a cat. Just like she could never truly be a human.

Bridgette was content to pretend to be human and only occasionally snuggle as a cat with her boyfriend.

She was a house pet and Marinette a stray. Still, Marinette knew that what she was doing now, wasn't healthy. That didn't help any of the conflicting feelings that welled up. The urge to create was the only thing that tied Marinette to humanity.

Apparently Bridgette had a solution to that issue. Marinette's funds as MDC were nothing to scoff at and they were certainly enough for her to attend Gotham State University. Granted, she had to close down some of her limited commission slots, but it wouldn't be an issue even renting her own apartment. Bridgette's was too far away from campus unless Marinette wanted to learn how to drive.

Marinette wanted to escape from the mix of pity and hope constantly on her cousin's face. She insisted that was the reason for agreeing to go to university. If she told herself enough times that this was the sole reason, it would be true...right? She refused to let the memory of human-to-human touch enter her mind.

No, Marinette preferred the sweet petting and pretty phrases cooed to her feline form. She kept herself warm to the memories of curling into a human and basking in the warmth they radiated. Missing skin-to-skin contact was not an option. Marinette didn't think that she could bear to have her bonds ripped away again.

Cat Marinette ran into Damian on several occasions. He finally admitted in a whispering midnight hour that he missed her and wanted to make sure she was okay. He was a vigilante that time, but he had "casually" passed by her neighborhood on several occasions in his civilian form.

Marinette maybe felt a little guilty for knowing all of the Bat and Bird's identities and not telling them. Though it wasn't exactly her fault Damian brought her home. She had tried to escape. She hadn't asked for him to snatch her mid-leap.

It didn't matter, she didn't know him as a human.

Scratch that note, she thought. There was Damian, the Damian Wayne, waiting to be measured for a new suit. She froze, blinking in surprise from the doorway. Quickly, she shook herself and took measurements with her usual calm professionalism. He didn't even question her silence and made no moves to fill it on his end.

"You're Miss MDC, right?" Marinette jumped and whirled to face the doorway. She placed a hand over her racing heart and sighed to calm her adrenaline. It was only the brother, Dick Grayson. She gave a quick nod before she finished her last measurement. She did not miss Damian's gaze, appraising her every movement.

"I wanted to ask you about your opinion on a few details," Dick continued. His voice was tacked in that cheerful but polite false tone he used with the public.

Marinette gestured for Damian to step down and held up a finger to ask Dick to wait a moment. She stepped over to the doorway and knocked sharply, twice.

Her assistant, Hope Vargas, came bustling into the room, shuffling papers and asking someone to hold a moment on the phone she cradled by her ear.

"I'm so so sorry, M. I told him to wait and I would go over it with him," she fumbled, mildly flustered. Marinette flashed her a quick smile to reassure the woman.

Dick and Damian watched, both with curious gazes, though Damian's was hidden under his signature scowl.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Grayson. I should have explained. MDC has a hereditary illness that makes it difficult for her to speak. Our policy is to go over any extra details with me present as well. We can avoid any miscommunications that way," Hope explained carefully with her best customer service smile plastered on her face. It was clear that she was hoping no one became angry. They couldn't afford to piss off this type of high class clientele.

"Oh. My apologies, Miss MDC. I didn't realize..." Marinette cut him off with a hand and Hope adjusted her position to easily translate.

""There is no offense Mr. Grayson. This information has not been made public. What were the details you wanted to go over?""

The rest of the fitting went smoothly. Marinette was trying her hardest not to show how perturbed Damian's appraising stare made her feel. She was certain that he was suspicious of her, despite knowing that no one could connect her to her cat form except by way of name.

For that, she wanted to curse her cousin. It had seemed harmless at the time, but Bridgette didn't know of the vigilante's identities. MDC was Marinette's mask, but she had a feeling that around these people she would only have a brief grace period of anonymity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of the model for how this story is going to go. I'm writing it in a more detached style. It's an interesting time and allows me to kinda just jump around as I please.  
> I think I'm close to wrapping this up in my drafts so hence why y'all get a chapter. Idk when I'll add the next one. Maybe 2-3 weeks. It's weird to have chapters in advance and not be rushing to finish them to post like I do for Balance is as Balance Does. XD


	3. Not so Coincidental Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> University. Woo... And Marinette gains an odd companion.  
> [Edited and changed mostly near the end]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [NEXT UPDATE] 2-3 weeks from today.  
> (since several people didn't read my last note and asked me when the next update is)
> 
> Please oh please, to the people reading this who use sign language, don't be too mad at me. I made an executive decision to treat it like I would any other language.

_"French Sign Language (LSF) untranslated is in underlined italics like this."_

"American Sign Language (ASL) untranslated is simply underlined."

""Translated sentence is signified by the double quotation marks.""

* * *

Preparation for university included Bridgette trying to have Marinette speak as often as possible. Marinette knew her sometimes inability to speak was not helped by remaining silent even when she could speak. It also made a lot of things more difficult.

Marinette tried. She worked hard to gain back some form of humanity. If for no other reason, than to keep doing the designing she so loves. It was hard work and she didn't feel much different. She was a pretender, but as Bridgette kept reminding her, every human felt that to a certain degree. All pretenders in the game of life. While Marinette did not voice an argument, she felt inclined to disagree. It was one thing to feel like a pretender and another to be a pretender, but if this thinking was what got Bridgette through her day, far be it from Marinette to take that away.

University kicked off in a whirlwind rush of assignments and projects. Keeping busy, kept Marinette human, though it didn't so much help the socializing aspect of her life. She didn't have much reason to speak with others and as such she avoided it where she could. The translator by her side helped steer people away. A few determined souls worked their way into acquaintance status, but with how busy Marinette was with school and her work, she had little time to socialize. She would rather spend that time as a cat anyways.

Week 3 brought an unexpected change. The other instructor for business law had to take a leave of absence due to injury. It was decided the other section would merge with Marinette's since they were held at the same time.

A quick change of classroom later, Marinette faced the daunting task of trying to find a seat away from other people. She sighed and slipped into the front where seats were rather empty. The level of talking seemed higher than it should be, even for the larger class size. Marinette pointedly ignored all of it and focused on carefully preparing her notebook and pens.

She flinched at the sudden sound of someone sitting next to her. Glancing over to see who could possibly be so rude left her face to face with the last person she expected.

Damian Wayne.

"Ms. M," he regarded her coolly.

 _"M. Wayne, it is a pleasure to meet you again,"_ she nodded and signed her greeting, thankful he didn't use her full initials and potentially out her to any perceptive fellow classmates.

Hope had gone to the restroom and as such could not translate. Marinette wasn't sure if Damian knew Sign Language, French or American, but her expression had made it clear that she did not expect him to reply. Damian didn't seem to care and almost looked more relieved that she didn't want to talk to him.

It was then of course that the murmurs of people around her caught her ears.

Ah...this was why they were so worked up. They were all foaming at the mouth over the rich boy in their class.

As was custom, they forgot that the rich and famous were simply people.

People were shocked that the Ice Prince of Gotham would sit next to anyone by choice and even more so that it was some average female student.

Marinette's "disability" was quickly circulated through the lecture hall. Marinette sighed and Damian's gaze flicked to her briefly. His glare to the whispering students around them was surprisingly effective. It seemed that Damian Wayne was not fond of rumors and the whispering multitudes.

She still thought it rather interesting to see this public side of him after she had met him without his guard up.

"Oh, Mr. Wayne. What an unexpected pleasure it is to-"

Marinette cut Hope off.

_ "Hope, class is about to start, we should leave M. Wayne to prepare. I have already greeted him." _

"Oh, of course. I apologize Mr. Wayne. It is a pleasure to meet you again," she said and Marinette knew that this was a far more shortened version of her usual greeting.

Damian's nod, was the full extent of his response.

It might have just been her imagination, but there seemed to Marinette, a small micro-expression of relief.

After spending almost a week with his family and the chaos that seemed to be their lives, Marinette couldn't bring herself to blame him for disliking small talk. She didn't think she had much of it left in her, not after Lila. And definitely not after defeating Hawkmoth.

She'd upheld the expectations of the masses, carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, and in the end they had wanted her to bleed herself dry when she had nothing left to give.

Marinette has missed the Professor starting class while she was buried in her own past. Luckily she hadn't been distracted for too long and she was able to catch onto the topic.

Snagging her pen, Marinette hastily began her notes and settled in to absorb the lesson. By the end of class she had nearly forgotten her dreary memories of the past and the unpleasant emotions they evoked.

Nearly...

Human skin itched over her bones and she ached to slip away, skip her last class and just disappear.

Yet she didn't have time for that, she'd fall behind on class work and commissions. Her low growl of frustration caught Damian's ears as they were packing up.

Marinette's careful gaze noticed the war between desire for introversion and curiosity that took place on his face for just a brief second.

It almost made her smile, but she made her goodbyes with Hope and left, making Damian's decision a moot point.

Over the course of the next few weeks Marinette found herself encountering Damian Wayne more and more often in her human form and seldom as a cat. At first, she assumed it was strange coincidence but she didn't miss how many people avoided coming up to him while she was there or quickly became flustered by her presence upon learning of her seeming inability to speak. 

The little sneak was using her disability to keep the masses at bay. It didn't work for the more determined ones, yet it apparently worked well enough. Marinette, however, did not appreciate the publicity. People were getting nosier and eventually someone would track her back to her business.

"Who's the lucky lady?" kept circulating in the tabloids. Yet Damian steadfastly sought her out. 

He was making it difficult for her to slip away. She had to be extra careful about how she slipped out of her apartment at night. She'd found paparazzi staked out on more than one occasion, but she actually didn't mind him hanging around.

Their interaction was minimal in terms of speaking, despite spending hours in the other's company. Many times, Marinette could send Hope off to keep up on MDC business. Her speech was improving, despite her not using it at campus. Her parents had her speak to them till her tongue tied and Hope had to convey her farewells. Marinette was confident that she could handle what little speaking she might encounter while around Damian. 

Damian was almost annoying with how he was always right outside a class as she came out or would appear suddenly at a common junction on campus. He knew her schedule and she nearly had his figured out, with when he would come and go. She chuckled at the thought that he was almost more of a cat than she.

She might have been more upset that he had somehow found out her schedule, except she remembered how much worse she had done when she had a crush on Adrien. And to be fair, it made things easier. She didn't have to try to talk to him or attempt to broach the subject of friendship or meeting up. He was either there if he was free or he wasn't and if she had things to do, she'd take off first. It was...simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [NEXT UPDATE] 2-3 weeks from today.
> 
> I have no idea how to break up the next section into chapters so we get to end here. The next chapter should be extremely entertaining though. I cracked up while writing a couple times. 
> 
> Also I love reading y'all's comments. Some of them give me the FEELS and some of them crack me up so SO very much. XD  
> I promise you, I read them all. Even if I'm not in a good place to respond.  
> Take care now and don't forget...  
> Hydrate or Die-drate Bitch!  
> Water is important. At least drink a gatorade or something hydrating if you don't like water.


	4. Cats in Coffee Shops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new character enters the scene. Damian gets double teamed. He deserves it. XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyy I kept forgetting to post this chapter. Oops *shrugs*

_ "French Sign Language (LSF) untranslated is in underlined italics like this." _

"American Sign Language (ASL) untranslated is simply underlined."

""Translated sentence is signified by the double quotation marks.""

* * *

Today, Hope left early once again. Deadlines were closing in and new slots were about to open 6 months out. People were clamoring over one another to obtain one of those precious few commission slots. Marinette needed a brainstorm session and as such made her way to a cafe just off campus. Damian followed her like glue as usual. 

As they reached the front of the line, Damian spun to face Marinette.

_"_ _ What do you want?" _

Marinette blinked in surprise. She had been planning to simply speak her order. This threw her for a loop. When had he learned French Sign Language (LSF)? Had he known it all along? Not likely seeing as he was speaking LSF and not ASL. She gave herself a mental shake.

 _"A french vanilla latte,"_ she answered in turn and he relayed the order to the barista. Paying for Marinette's before she could even begin to argue. The barista gave them a coy smile, obviously thinking them out on a date. 

Marinette took a small moment, when she thought Damian wasn't paying attention, to fully appraise Damian as a regular person might. It had been...a while since her wild crush on Adrien had faded into oblivion along with her connection to humanity. She hadn't thought about people that way, too absorbed in her own self pity to notice much about beautiful faces. Even with his face turned away, Damian's profile was quite striking. Due to her various meetings of him in vigilante form and in light dress for proper measurements, she knew just how toned his physique was. When his gaze turned back to Marinette and he gestured to the tables, she took that second to memorize his face. 

She fully understood now why he was dubbed the Ice Prince of Gotham as she crash landed her notes, tablet, laptop, and sketchbook on a free four-person table. She nearly took up three-fourths of it all on her own. She barely noticed Damian get up and retrieve their drinks; already she was deep into her designs and the methods she would be using. These were for next month's commissions which were about to start. She had only a few finishing touches remaining to complete her current projects. 

A flump across the table from her, startled Marinette out of her designing haze. She blinked owlishly at the stranger who had up and made himself at home at her and Damian's table. Taking a sip of her lukewarm latte, Marinette glanced between an annoyed looking Damian and the grinning stranger. Marinette was caught between complete utter annoyance and not wanting to be rude. 

"I never thought I'd live to see the day that Damian ever willingly sat with a girl who wasn't part of his family," the stranger teased. The frown on Damian's face deepened. Marinette decided she didn't care if she was rude, this man started it.

 _"Who's this? Someone else you want my presence to chase away?"_ Damian blinked in surprise, his frown falling away for a moment.

 _"I'm not sure I understood all of that, but have you been this snarky the entire time with Hope editing it out?"_

Marinette sighed, _"I'm only this snarky when my commission deadlines are coming up and I have double projects for a full week."_

"Hey, I only know ASL. What are you two saying?" This stranger had very convincing puppy dog eyes. 

"Miss M asked who you are and also made a comment about me using her to chase away annoyances," Damian summarized.

"So? Did you tell her how I am your one and only best friend," He asked eagerly. Marinette couldn't tell if he was serious or teasing.

"No."

"Awww...Well I'm Jon. It's short for Jonathon but everyone just calls me Jon," he said with a somehow wider grin than before, Marinette wasn't quite sure how that was possible, as he held out his hand. Marinette gingerly shook it. "Does that mean Em is your name? Like on your cup there?"

Marinette twisted the cup and saw E-M on her cup. She shook her head. 

"M as in the letter M, Kent. This is the designer MDC," Damian responded before Marinette could get a word in edgewise. Probably good, since she would have to reveal her name to Damian, which would put her on the same radar as Marinette the cat. The name Kent sounded vaguely familiar, now that she thought about it. 

"Ohh...the one Tim was boasting non-stop about getting suits from? That's crazy, you're so young," Jon commented. Marinette knew he probably meant no harm by his words, but they still made her bristle slightly. She wasn't sure if Damian would translate her words...

""I worked hard to get where I am."" Damian's change in expression told her that she hadn't come across as neutral as she had hoped to, but Jon either didn't notice or took it in stride.

"That's so cool. I don't doubt it..." Jon trailed off and then his grin turned wicked mischievous as though he had just realized something and he wiggled his eyebrows at Damian.

"Dude, you learned a whole foreign sign language for a girl? Who are you and what have you done with Damian Wayne?" 

Marinette's laugh startled herself as well as the two men with her. Had it really been so long?

As a human? Yes it had really been so so very long since she last felt enough energy to laugh and enjoy human company. 

"Ha! By your look of surprise, I bet I made your girlfriend laugh before you did," Jon began his teasing again. Damian's perpetual scowl deepened once more.

"She's not my girlfriend Jon. We have a class together," Damian replied curtly.

 _"He's just using me for my disability."_

"I'm not saying that." Marinette crossed her arms and stared him down. Damian refused to back down. Marinette smirked, knowing she'd win in her own way.

"He's just using me for my disability." 

Once again both boys were startled into silence. Both staring in surprise. Jon broke out into a stifled laugh, he was trying not to bother the other customers too much. Meanwhile, Damian sent Marinette a half-hearted glare.

"You didn't need me to translate," he remarked. 

"I have good days and bad days," Marinette replied but had to clear her throat as her voice cracked.

Jon's laughter finally died down. "Do you mind if I ask?" His question was polite and Marinette didn't mind.

"Hereditary Speech disability. It makes it difficult to speak sometimes. I usually have my translator with me, but today is a good day," Marinette answered easily. "It was very kind of you to order my coffee for me though, Mr. Wayne."

Jon snorted, "Mr. Wayne..." 

Damian scowled, "Stop encouraging his nonsense." 

"Consider it payback for using me." Marinette found an unfamiliar wicked grin lighting up her face. "I still can't believe that you stalked me enough to memorize my class schedule so that you didn't ha-" Lunging across the table, Damian clapped a hand over Marinette's mouth.

"You WHAT?!"

Marinette easily switched to ASL, "He meets me every moment we both have free time. Waits outside my classes..." Damian fought to keep a hand over Marinette's mouth while also trying to stop her hands. "...Tracks me down if I go off course," Damian's attempts were unsuccessful. Marinette had not spent years fending off Chat Noir's unwanted advances for nothing, "and he doesn't even know my name."

Jon was too shocked to laugh at Damian's attempts to silence Marinette.

"Okay whoever you are, give me back Damian. You are a terrible fake, just go home," Jon was shaking Damian by the shoulders.

"Knock it off Kent. It's not like that and if I thought I was bothering her, I would have left well enough alone."

A ding on Marinette's phone broke off her attention from the two arguing goofs. She checked her phone and paled. She began throwing her things haphazardly into her bag.

"Is everything alright," asked Jon casually. 

Marinette nodded quickly, "Avoiding chaos..." She trailed off as a scream was heard from nearby. Damian jerked to attention. This was Gotham after all and he was one of the vigilantes.

Marinette sighed resigned to causing a huge scene. 

"Don't worry. It's my uncle. I was hoping to avoid causing a huge scene, but it looks like Penny wasn't able to stall him," Marinette told them calmly. She tossed her bag onto her shoulder and left the cafe with both Jon and Damian following out of concern and curiosity. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon... oh Jon. The Sunshine boi always makes my life brighter. 
> 
> (I am typing with really long acrylic nails on and wooow is it hard and annoying just btw XD)
> 
> This is kinda Marinette's revenge on Damian plus just entertaining shenanigans. I like rewrote the first part of the next chapter like twice, which is a lot for me, and it's still pretty angsty. *shrugs* But Marinette is kinda angsty in this fic so... yeah it was kinda bound to happen.


	5. Licking Old Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Jon get an unexpected glance into Marinette's past. Albeit a brief and probably rather cryptic glance, but a glance all the same.

_ "French Sign Language (LSF) untranslated is in underlined italics like this." _

"American Sign Language (ASL) untranslated is simply underlined."

""Translated sentence is signified by the double quotation marks.""

* * *

Marinette chucked her bag at Damian as a greenish blur blasted past the screaming fleeing students. Damian caught the bag and passed it to Jon, readying himself to fight...

...a crocodile. That was all it was, no mutant or slobbering beast attacking people. In terms of behavior, this crocodile behaved more like a dog. 

He gently grabbed Marinette's arm and she allowed him to take her to the ground. 

"It's fine. He's just saying hi," she croaked out. She weakly cooed to the crocodile rubbing along her body. He rolled on his back and Marinette rubbed his belly. The crocodile's tongue hung out of his mouth as he thoroughly enjoyed the attention.

A sudden blur of purple and black swept Marinette into a twirling hug. The steady stream of exuberant French didn't leave Marinette a moment to reply.

Jon and Damian were soon joined by a young man maybe a few years older, who wore a similar though less ostentatious style than the Middle aged man dominating Marinette's attention. 

"I apologize for Jagged. We'll try to minimize the damages done by his actions," said the young man coolly. His gaze never left Marinette and Jagged.

"I assume he is the Uncle, M was talking about," Jon replied with his easy smile returning to his face.

The young man laughed, "That's the easiest way to explain their relationship. He insists she call him Uncle Jagged. I'm Luka Couffaine, Jagged's son, lead guitarist, and sometimes baby sitter."

"I'm Jonathon Kent, but just call me Jon. My brooding friend here is Damian," Jon greeted easily, despite Damian's bristling. 

Luka's eyes seemed to see right through them and to their souls. His gaze lingered on Damian and he nodded.

"Don't worry. I didn't come out as Jagged's son until a few years ago. I understand wanting to stay out of the public eye." His relaxed smile put Damian on edge. This man saw too much about people. Not a good thing for a family of vigilantes. Luka's gaze returned to Marinette and his voice took on a tone tinged with sadness. "Her song is still broken and alone. I had vainly hoped that being away from her old class, she might heal. They did more damage than she ever let me know."

Marinette turned their way then and her step faltered as her eyes met Luka's. The smile that couldn't reach her eyes flickered. She knew that Luka saw right through her and had long since realized her lies to him from back in Paris. 

"Lu-" Marinette's voice cut out. She had reached her limit and words failed her.

 _"Luka..."_ she said carefully and Damian noticed Luka's incomprehension of LSF. 

"I'll translate," he commented dryly. 

Jon laughed, "No offense Damian, but you don't convey emotions well." Jon ignored Damian's glare.

""Luka, it's good to see you again."" Marinette tried for a weak smile as she traded languages. Jagged slung an arm around her shoulders and broke the intimate moment.

"So you two know my rocking niece, eh?"

"My family has commissioned suits from Miss M and we happen to have a class together," Damian replied easily.

"M and I just met today. I came to pester Damian and found them sequestered away in a cafe, both silently working," said Jon with a flourish. "Damian doesn't even know her full name and he's been pestering her for weeks."

Marinette scowled lightly at Jon's antics. She had almost gotten away without giving her name. But seeming reluctant to give it would make her seem more suspicious.

""It's Marinette Dupain-Cheng. M is fine though.""

More people were gathering. Several came up nervously to Jagged and one finally spoke up.

"Um, Mr. Jagged Stone sir...I'm a huge fan of your music. Could I get a pi-"

"A picture?! I always love pictures with my Rockin' fans!"

And with those words, Jagged was gone in the crowd of people.

""How long do you think he'll take this time?"" Marinette asked Luka with a small smile.

"I didn't know it was this bad." Luka's words made her freeze. "Is she still coming after you? Even here?"

Marinette shook her head emphatically, ""No. No, I haven't heard anything since grad..."" she winced ""since moving,"" she amended. ""It's my own fault..."" she admitted casing her gaze to the ground in shame.

Luka crouched before her, and met her downcast gaze.

"Hey, it's not your fault. I wasn't there for you."

Marinette frowned, ""No, no Luka. It was never your fault. You have a life, a career... I was too cowardly to make new friends.""

"We were all put through hell under Hawkmoth. That kind of damage doesn't go away without help," Luka insisted gently.

""I wasn't accepting any offers of help,"" Marinette insisted stubbornly.

Luka let out a soft chuckle leaving Marinette blinking in confusion.

"Why don't we leave it at we both could have handled things better," he suggested softly. And the fight left Marinette with a sigh. She nodded.

Damian and Jon were left on the sideline feeling rather intrusive upon such a personal moment as Luka opened his arms and Marinette buried her face in his chest, clinging to him tightly.

It was only once she couldn't see his face that he let his worry and pain show, as if he could sense how those emotions might push her over the edge.

"How does going to the limo now sound?"

Marinette didn't loosen her grip as she nodded.

"Alright, I think Penny knows a little LSF, but you don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to." Luka carefully ruffled her hair and it was clear that he cared for Marinette like he cared for his own sister.

Marinette finally broke away and wiped at her face.

""Can you guys just drop me off at my place? I still have my transfer from nearly finished commissions to new ones. I can't afford to fall behind."" Marinette looked for all the world, ready to bolt. She'd hit her limit of interactions for the day.

She rolled her shoulders to hide how her skin itched and crawled.

Biding farewell to Damian and Jon, Luka and Marinette herded Jagged and Fang back to the waiting limo and Penny, who was giving out cards to some staff of the university and telling them to contact her if there was any physical or emotional damage done by the rock star.

They dropped her off as promised and as soon as she had dumped her stuff and the coast was clear, Marinette fled her apartment in cat form. She ran the rooftops, today staying out of reach of people. She didn't feel she could stand much more interaction, even being in her cat form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy I decided to update a bit earlier. I've been writing a decent amount on this story lately. It was either wait the full 3 weeks and post a longer chapter or this and I ended up deciding to go with this.
> 
> This warning has zero context but Marinette being a bisexual is the hill I have decided that I will stand and die on. I don't actually really know why but yeah... so consider this a warning for future chapters.  
> Honestly if I hadn't already set Damian to be the love interest for this story it would have changed in a   
> h e a r t b e a t  
> I'm not even kidding. I was heavily debating changing the love interest, but I've decided to use it as one of those, "I like you but we could either become really good friends or enter into a romantic relationship."   
> Anywho prepare yourselves for some adorable future content that makes my little gay heart go SQUEEEEEEE!


	6. Kitty Cat Chit-Chats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian monologuing and Marinette's resolve.  
> or  
> Damian venting and Marinette making a certain decision on how to progress with her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyyyyy~  
> I'm a tad late because of shenanigans that happened the past few weeks. Y'all just have to deal with it. I wanted to give a little more insight on Damian's reasoning and emotions, so enjoy. If it helps there's some cute little banter at the end.

_ "French Sign Language (LSF) untranslated is in underlined italics like this." _

"American Sign Language (ASL) untranslated is simply underlined."

""Translated sentence is signified by the double quotation marks.""

* * *

Just her luck, not 10 minutes after deciding that, she nearly ran face first into Robin on a roof.

The heathen scooped her up with deft hands and plopped himself right down on the roof he was on.

"You love your rooftops don't you Lady," he said with a soft sigh. He sounded tired and Marinette found she couldn't be too mad at him.

It actually felt...nice. He didn't call her Marinette with pitying eyes or concern. His lap was decently comfortable. The suit soaking up the last rays of sunlight, so Marinette had to admit that she basked a little.

Robin seemed to love every second of it and showered her in multiple languages with words of adoration for a small creature.

He sighed deeply as the last of the light seeped from the smoggy sky and he snuggled Marinette closer in his lap.

"Lady, sweet Lady I'm so tired. I used to find my civilian life so mundane. I wanted only to be Robin and when the time came, to inherit father's assets as his rightful heir, the blood son. I thought I only needed to use the people around me as little pawns to move across my chess board. I saw Drake..." he frowned before amending, "...Tim, as a threat. Someone I had to defeat and replace. By the time I realized the value of building relationships, dealing with people, almost everyone had set a certain picture in their minds of me and what I was like."

Marinette felt like an intruder, an imposter. She wasn't sure if it was better or worse that she was not just a cat. She knew it was a massive invasion of privacy, but she knew she couldn't bear the mortification of changing back now.

"I've been trying...I'm not a people person and they just..." He lost his words and removed one hand from Marinette's coat to clench and shake in frustration. "They go out of their way to aggravate me. They know all the right buttons to push and they can't see how I'm trying to change. I changed my target goal. For as much as Tim annoys me and for all his faults, he's a genius. He's so much better at dealing with people. He can simply slip on that polite society mask that I don't have the patience for." Damian growled lowly but resumed petting the cat in his lap. 

Marinette purred, trying to soothe him a little.

"I want to replace my father as co-CEO. Tim needs someone to keep some of his more harebrained ideas in check. I want to bring that balance but..." He sighed again and this time dropped his head close to Marinette. "I can't make them see how I've changed and I can't even be mad at them because it's my own fault."

Marinette whacked him in the face, hard, with a sheathed paw. Damian jolted back and looked down upon the cat, flicking her tail in reproach, with an odd look.

"What did you do that for?" He asked softly with a small huffed chuckle. "Trying to keep me from beating myself up?" The second question was phrased as a joke, that was very clear to Marinette.

"I want to get better, I'm trying. I want to try to make a friend on my own. I have someone in mind, but I don't know if she's looking. Something that happened today has made me curious about her and I know I shouldn't cheat and dig up all the info I can possibly find on her, but trying the normal way is so hard. I don't know what subjects to avoid or how to talk to her about actually hanging out as friends. I probably already come off like a stalker since I follow her around campus all the time."

Marinette squirmed in mild alarm. She had mild suspicions at first, but now she was almost certain that he was talking about her. Damian continued to pet her coat rhythmically until she stopped her wiggling.

"At first, I just wanted to use her for her "disability", like she said. She came off as cold and unapproachable and she doesn't speak verbally on campus so the annoying hangers-on backed off. They didn't know how to approach me anymore. I used her to scare others away, but she's also so soothing to be around. Not just because she's quiet, that's how I justified it at first, but it's because of her subtle body language and help. I don't even know if she notices half of the things she does. A shift of a pencil to remind me to grab it as we pack up, hanging onto the door just an extra second, shifting her shoulders ever so slightly towards whoever is speaking to her or sitting next to her as a companion..." Damian trailed off and sighed again, blatantly unaware or ignoring Marinette's discomfort.

Marinette didn't know how to handle this, as a cat or a human. She was both embarrassed and mildly impressed at how much he had been paying attention to her. She wasn't an expert on crushes but she suspected this might be the beginnings of one...on herself. Marinette wanted to groan out loud. This was SO not a situation she should be present for. This information was private. At this rate, she felt Damian deserved to be able to research her all he wanted.

"The people who knew her today, Jagged Stone and his son, they seemed to know her as a different person..." Damian pulled Marinette up into his arms and buried his face in her fur with a muttered, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who are you?"

Marinette stiffened and then made herself relax. He didn't know yet, he would probably hate her once he did, but for now...

...for now she could give some form of comfort.

She craned her head around to lick the side of his face, working from his forehead down to his ear. She felt more than heard his chuckle and he ducked his head away from her aggressive grooming. Marinette refused to be deterred, and reached out with paws to his head, careful not to use claws, she twisted herself around to bring his face back within range. 

The smile on his face, told her, the soothing tactics were working.

"I feel like you're telling me not to worry so much. Lady, you are the only one I can talk to without feeling judged, evaluated, or brushed off. Probably because you are a cat. A lovely smart Lady, but in the end just a cat." His face fell at the end and he muttered, "What am I even doing? Venting like a madman to a cat..."

Marinette let out a concerned little "Brrr" that caught Damian's attention and brought back a small smile. He tightened his arms around her and she purred, doing her best to wriggle and rub her face on him like an aggressively affectionate cat might, even though it was slightly outside her normal behavior. Damian's relax in posture and ensuing chuckle gave Marinette a rather nostalgic warm feeling. It hearkened back to the days before Lila and that realization jolted like electricity beneath her skin.

She had to force herself not to stiffen in Damian's arms. She suddenly felt all the more an imposter and her skin itched to change back. To have skin-to-skin contact with someone. To be human. She almost shuddered and had to force her purr to continue. Damian needed the comfort of Lady the cat. She pushed the itching feeling crawling across her skin down deep and focused on helping Damian for just this moment. He deserved that much.

The next time Marinette encountered Damian felt very awkward on her end. She had spent more of her night trying to figure out her conflicting instincts and emotions than sleeping. It hadn't helped.

The only thing she did know, was that this man wanted to be friends with her and was trying in his own clumsy vigilante way. She found him admirable in a way. He was trying to find people who could become real friends and she was honored that he considered her as a candidate. 

~-----~

That day in class, he informed her that she looked like death. She gave a short laugh.

 _"As a fashion designer, insomnia, coffee, and I are in a very committed relationship,"_ she informed him with a mock seriousness that brought a snort sounding suspiciously like suppressed laughter from Damian.

 _"My brother would love you. Either that or he'd be upset that coffee is cheating on him,"_ Damian quipped back.

 _"Hey, he's welcome to join. I'm not the jealous type."_ Marinette finished it off with a casual shrug. She didn't like Damian's answering smirk.

 _"I'll be sure to tell him that."_ His grin only widened and Marinette realized the full impact of their banter. The color drained from her face and she buried it in her hands before Damian could see how she flushed with embarrassment.

She let out a low growl when she heard Damian's chuckle of amusement. She also noticed that many eyes from the rest of the room were fixed on the two. She found herself immensely glad that the likelihood of someone knowing LSF was very very low. 

She straightened herself as a thought hit her. It had been so easy to slip into a banter with Damian, both yesterday and today. She observed Damian's demeanor as he sent an icy glare towards those who seemed to stare a little too intently. She smiled softly to herself and found that the idea of trying to make new friends might not be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo!!! GUESS WHO GOT DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD  
> Oui, c'est moi.  
> Good News!  
> I have wayyyyy more energy  
> Bad News!  
> My life is now barely contained chaos  
> But yeah I started this anxiety/depression med and it certainly helps with those buggers. After a week of a cacophony of wild side effects, everything except the adhd chilled out.  
> And of course for me that means that time is an extremely elusive concept that I do not have any sort of handhold on.  
> Writing has been hit-or-miss since my attention span is spotty at best. That won't affect this story much since I'm still pretty far ahead, but if any of y'all also read Balance is as Balance Does, it's gonna go on a mild hiatus as I slowly get the chap for that written.


	7. Well Aren't You Just the Cat's Meow?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanging out with friends. Just the standard procedure for maintaining/building friendships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo!!! Guess what y'all??
> 
> I basically finished the story. Though there is possibility for some epilogue/random scenes. But that means chapters will come out faster.

_ "French Sign Language (LSF) untranslated is in underlined italics like this." _

"American Sign Language (ASL) untranslated is simply underlined."

""Translated sentence is signified by the double quotation marks.""

* * *

The next few weeks were a blur of Marinette frantically finishing last minute adjustments on commissions, schoolwork, and conveniently placing herself in Damian's path both as feline and human. She and Damian slipped into a frighteningly easy friendship. He didn't seem to mind that one moment she could talk his ear off and the next sit in silence for hours on end.

Jon seemed mystified by how well they worked in tune without words. 

"I swear, sometimes it seems like you two are the same person," he commented, sending them a mock scowl from where he sprawled across an armchair. This made Marinette smile, she was doing that a lot more often lately.

"That's funny you say that, because I used to be a lot more like you Jon." She kept her focus on the piece of needlework in her hands even as Jon sat up in surprise. She didn't miss Damian's cool gaze shifting her way, from his sketchbook.

"No way..."

"I certainly had a lot more social anxiety, but I was just as full of energy and optimism," Marinette said, still careful to keep her focus down for what she wanted to say next. "I sort of shut down after a new classmate turned my entire class against me. I couldn't afford to be akumatized so it was better to avoid feeling all together."

"Oh! That whole bug dude situation. I had to look that up after you mentioned it when we met. I still can't believe we never heard anything about it!" Jon's indignation brought Marinette out of her work.

"I suppose, magic and all," she affirmed with a nonchalance she didn't know she could muster. As much as she had tried to keep her nose out of figuring out anymore secret identities, Jon had made his rather glaringly obvious. She half wondered if he was even trying to hide it from her.

"The heroes were so young though. They didn't deserve to shoulder the burden of saving Paris from some crusty old man alone," Jon complained.

"They certainly didn't deserve that," Marinette agreed, giving the two young men a wry smile. "But it's too little, too late. Events have transpired and now I'm sure they've gone back to whatever is left of the lives they had before." She didn't miss how Damian's gaze remained sharp and focused on her every expression. Seeing as she was no longer Ladybug, she didn't see much point in trying to keep it a secret, especially from others in the same line of work. She already knew who they were, even if it was only by accident, so fair is fair in her opinion. Not that he was likely to glean that information simply from how she had spoken so far, but it may have him curious.

"Dying repeatedly would most certainly be a nightmarish situation," Damian commented coolly.

"It most certainly was," Marinette parroted back. "but we managed to make our way through it. We didn't have any other option really. Though I suppose it probably changed us all, some more than others." 

She lifted her needlework and renewed her focus making it clear that she was didn't want to continue with this topic.

Thankfully, Dick entered the room before the silence became awkward, Cassandra followed him, a silent shadow.

"Little D, Alfred told me you'd be here with...friends..." He trailed off as his gaze fell on Marinette. When he swung his head to make sure Cass was behind him, his silent shadow made a face. Dick whipped his head back and covered his mouth with his hand.

"What do you want, Grayson? As you can see, I am currently occupied," Damian snarked without much real bite to his tone.

"Occupied?" Dick's voice sounded suspiciously squeaky from behind his hand. 

"Yes. I am spending time with my friends, as is standard procedure for maintaining friendships."

Dick made a choking noise and his eyes flitted between Damian, who looked rather annoyed with having to explain himself, Jon, who grinned and looked about ready to burst into laughter, and Marinette, who didn't even bother with more than a disinterested glance his way. Dick's eyes lit with recognition.

"Oh, Miss MDC. I apologize for not recognizing you at first glance," He said with a quick moment of working to compose himself.

She waved him off, "It's fine, I'm not here on business. No need to act all formal." Marinette set her project down, anticipating that this conversation was going to continue.

She did not fail to notice Cass' piercing gaze. The two locked gazes, Cass's head tilted as she seemed to think something over. The gaze that penetrated her very soul seemed to say, "I know." Marinette questioned her silently, "Will you say anything?" Cass' gaze said "no." 

Between Marinette's cat instincts and Cass' ability to read body language, they seemed to perfectly understand each other without words. The exchange did not go unnoticed by the others in the room.

"Uh, well MDC, this is our sister Cassandra. She often communicates using ASL, as she is also selectively mute," Dick said somewhat awkwardly. He seemed a little lost on what to say.

"Marinette, right?" Cassandra's question was a loaded gun. Marinette knew that despite how others may think that she simply researched MDC or found out her name by detective means, the truth was that Cass was using this to have Marinette confirm her status as the cat that Damian had brought home a few months earlier.

"Yes, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Nice to meet you." It may bring her trouble later, but Marinette was no stranger to trouble, or friends abandoning her.

Perhaps there was something defeated about her body language because the next thing Marinette knew Cass had crossed the room and was ruffling her hair. The level of shock in the room seemed to triple. Marinette flushed with embarrassment, more out of the fact that she had enjoyed the petting than from the act itself.

"I like her," Cass informed the room and planted herself on the arm of Marinette's chair in what was very clearly a protective stance.

"Well..." Dick said, finally breaking the silence that hung in the air after Cass' words. "Uh, Little D I wanted to talk to you. You got a moment?"

"Since my friend seems to have been stolen, yes it appears that I do have a moment," Damian huffed sending Cass a glare. She stuck out her tongue and leaned across the back of the chair as if curling around Marinette.

Damian huffed but obediently left the room with Dick leaving Jon, Cass, and Marinette alone in the room.

Jon was fairly certain he could handle leading the conversation with these two right up until they started communicating again without words. He watched in awe of the silent exchange. The change in facial expression and body language, the question, the answer that all led up to Marinette handing her needlework project over for Cass to observe more closely. Cass must have complimented it, because Marinette squirmed in embarrassment.

Marinette couldn't quite fathom why Cassandra decided that she was safe to befriend. Especially since she somehow knew that Marinette the human and Marinette the cat were one and the same. But one thing that Marinette did know, was that being able to communicate in silence so clearly and easily with someone was one of the most amazing feelings in the world.

Damian returned to find Cass fully in Marinette's lap while the designer continued her needlework and Jon sending him a helpless look.

'What happened?' Damian mouthed.

'I have no idea' Jon mouthed back with a half horrified face.

Damian noticed that Cass' attention was now focused on him. A small smug smirk flitted across her face and she leaned into Marinette playing with her hair. Firstly, that was a shock because Cass was only known to be tactile with two other people, neither of which were Damian. Secondly, it was a shock because the feelings of annoyance and envy that Cass' territorial behavior evoked were not something Damian expected to feel.

Marinette it seemed was oblivious to the two opposed siblings and the bewildered Jon. Her hands steadily guided the needle through the fabric.

Damian decided there was nothing he could do or say about this that wouldn't make him sound idiotic or childish, so he sat back down and picked up his book. Using the book as a cover he examined his feelings.

Despite how little they'd spoken in the numerous hours they'd spent together, she felt familiar. Damian felt that if he spilled his guts about every problem he had, she would listen and stay there with him. Not call his problems dumb or childish. He didn't exactly understand why she was so...for lack of a better word, comforting.

He supposed the why didn't exactly matter. What mattered in the end of things was how he acted on this information. Damian found himself, probably for the first time in a very very long time, wanting to reach out to someone first. Possibly...in more than a friendship sort of way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CASS AND MARINETTE CASS AND MARINETTE CASS AND MARINETTE  
> Whooooo boi y'all have no idea the self restraint it took for me not to change the love interest right under y'all's noses. Idk man Cass just came up and they just clicked for me. So I might write a spin-off. XD Bc my gay little heart just melts into mush. I'm actually very asexual and very aromantic but I love me some cute relationship dynamics when it comes to me not being involved in the equation. Lmao
> 
> Anywho just a few more chapters and we're finished. I actually don't know how many more it'll be exactly bc I have 4 sections of drafts for this story. (Unpublished parts; Extras/scraps/cuts; Published parts; and word count. And word count is for me to input the chapter I wanna post and check to see if I wanna cut or tack on a bit more) So it's all lumped together with minimal separation of pieces.
> 
> News for extra chapters  
> If you have any requests for entertaining scenes you'd like to see I am certainly willing to hear them out and write some of them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has a little bisexual panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My gay ass apparently said, "MMMMMM BISEXUAL..."  
> I must admit that after reading a couple REALLY good Marigami fics, bisexual Marinette is the hill I will live and die on. Which is saying something because I have very few things that I have such staunch opinions on and will not back down. XD

_ "French Sign Language (LSF) untranslated is in underlined italics like this." _

"American Sign Language (ASL) untranslated is simply underlined."

""Translated sentence is signified by the double quotation marks.""

Cass and Marinette having silent conversation

* * *

Having Blackbat A.K.A. Cassandra Cain show up at her apartment door one rainy evening was not something Marinette had ever expected or planned for.

Never one to turn away someone in need, whether they be friend or foe, Marinette ushered the soaking vigilante into the bathroom with a fresh towel and clothes. Then she prepared hot water for tea or cocoa and set about warming up some different foods.

They moved in silence, both crashing onto Marinette's couch with a cup of Jasmine tea each. Marinette squirmed under Cass' expectant gaze.

Can I see it?

See what? Marinette pretended not to understand what Cass was referring to.

Don't act coy with me. You know I figured you out already. 

Marinette caved.

Yeah, I don't mind. Since I accidentally figured out your family's identities and all, fair is fair. She set down her tea and pulled her legs up on the couch.

The change was a smooth transition, mostly hidden by the clothing that quickly swamped her shrinking form. She wriggled free of the mess and carefully groomed a few places with ruffled fur.

Without warning Cass snatched her up and into her lap. The young woman examined Marinette thoroughly. Marinette allowed the close examination and purred when it turned into a scratching session.

Marinette didn't turn back for several minutes. Even then, after her clothes were back on, she snuggled into Cass. The two burying themselves in blankets and spending several hours in near silent conversation on any topic they could think of. Damian came up as a topic far more often than Marinette would like to admit, but in the end he was one of her 4 friends. That was, if she counted Hope as a friend.

"I wasn't sure I'd ever meet someone outside my family to talk to about this whole curse thing," Marinette said as Cass reached the door.

Cass turned, questioning.

"It's a family curse that the Chengs have carried for a very long time. It skips every other generation. Those of us bearing the curse struggle to choose between cat and human. Those in our family without the curse are forced to watch us struggle. An effective curse, no?" Marinette ended her explanation with a shrug.

"So there are more of you...the woman who came to pick you up?" Cass readjusted her mask, her comm muted but no longer off.

"Yes, Bridgette is my cousin and also carries the cat curse. Though, she doesn't seem to struggle the same way I do," Admitted Marinette softly.

"She may have the same curse, but she does not have the same mind or life experiences as you. You are a unique amalgamation of your experiences and mindset." She moved close and brushed a stray strand of hair from Marinette's face. In a flash, Marinette went from entranced to beet red. 

Cass' mask may have hidden her eyes, but her smile gave evidence of her amusement. She backed off just as quickly as she had stepped forward and Marinette worked quickly to recompose herself,

"Thank you Cass." She gave a soft genuine smile. "You guys have given me the strength to keep trying to be human. I want to try to trust people again but..." she trailed off, hesitant. 

"It'll take time. As all things worth waiting for do. You've come to the right family for then," Cass said with a sparkle in her eye. "Most of us under Bruce's wing have needed time and patience from the others in order to adjust and/or become functional."

Marinette nodded and sighed with relief. It was far easier to ignore that niggling voice in the back of her mind telling her, her friends will betray her, when she was with Damian and Cass. Maybe it was the fact that she knew their whole vigilante secret, perhaps it was her animal instincts, or maybe it was some other indeterminable trait entirely.

"If you will have patience with me as well, I'd like to stay and make a life and friends here."

"Well you certainly have strange taste in location and friends. But I am more than willing to become friends...and perhaps more. If you so choose."

That had Marinette blushing again.

"Well...I really, I don't want to..." She stopped herself before she could stutter herself too far into a hole. "...maybe..."

"Maybe is enough for me. And friends is more than enough," Cass reassured. "I'll see you around, probably sooner than later," she added with a cheeky grin before slipping out the door and disappearing into the night.

~-----~

Everyone returned to the Batcave, some a little more drenched than others. Cass took a small satisfaction in seeing that Damian looked rather like a drowned rat.

He eyed her suspiciously so she stuck out her tongue.  
"You'd better make your move on Marinette soon or I'll make mine."

Damian's eyes grew wide as he processed her words.

"Does she even..." he trailed off, uncertain and not wanting to throw himself in hot water. He had gotten better at curbing his tongue...most of the time.

"She certainly wasn't opposed, so I bet that I have just as much of a shot as you," spurred Cass playfully.

Damian, at a loss for words, looked rather like a gaping fish. His hand twitched, reaching for words that his mind couldn't seem to find.

Instead of waiting around for Damian's brain to reboot, Cass sauntered off to change.

"Did what I think... really just happen?" Dick turned to Jason for confirmation.

"You mean Cass threatening to steal Demon Spawn's girl, if he doesn't make a move? Yeah...I think it just did," Jason answered without tearing his gaze away from a befuddled Damian stuck trying to figure out what he was originally doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Damian XD Also for all y'all wanting more Cass and Marinette time. I was excited to show you this chapter. I've started the CassXMarinette version of this story. Basically the same story but less Damian being the main focus and more focus on having Cass and Marinette interact. 
> 
> One more chapter....can y'all believe it? Well I'll probably tack on some extra epilogue pieces, but they may or may not be full chapter size.   
> Anywho, thank you for all the Kudos and Comments. Y'all are a wonderful bunch and I'm glad you could join me on this adventure. XD


	9. Unlimited Paw-sibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reveal....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happened and I don't want to forget to post this so y'all get this now.
> 
> (And yes, I had to do a cat pun for the title. My brain told me so)

_ "French Sign Language (LSF) untranslated is in underlined italics like this." _

"American Sign Language (ASL) untranslated is simply underlined."

""Translated sentence is signified by the double quotation marks.""  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Marinette found herself thinking about what she wanted for her future for the first time in what felt like forever. She had spent so long now in survival mode. Trapped between an impossible choice and an iron wall. Yet now the wall was rusted through, crumbling at the barest touch, and the impossible choice was now fading into obscurity.

Cass's knowledge and acceptance of her cat curse, while not a revolutionary and unheard of idea, it was not an idea Marinette had entertained. She had never imagined finding people she could trust fully. Especially since her friends of the past hadn't known of her family's curse, but they had all left her anyways. She had trusted some of them with everything but her curse. Cass had known very little beyond her curse and had accepted her broken disaster human and all. 

Trust...

That singular word. A key word so simple, so powerful, yet so difficult to implement. Even holding the secret of the Bat's identities didn't put her fears to rest. Trust seemed an impossible goal, forever out of Marinette's reach. That did not mean she would not still reach for it. 

So, she decided her first step. She needed to tell Jon and Damian about her curse and how she knew their identities.

Cass had slipped her number on a note at some point during her rain visit and reassured Marinette that she would be right there with her and ready to smack some sense into the boys if needed. She also mentioned that Alfred the human already knew about her and didn't mind. After seeing that man in action, Marinette honestly wasn't the least bit surprised.

~-----~

"I know you two want to know why I asked you to meet me here," Marinette began, Cass was a silent shadow flickering momentarily in the vents above. Marinette had purposely seated herself across a coffee table from Damian and Jon in the Wayne manor. 

Damian managed to keep his emotions hidden behind a thin veneer of neutrality while Jon nearly vibrated in his seat with concern and curiosity. 

"I know about your...alternate identities," she ventured cautiously only to flinch as Damian burst up and rounded on Jon.

"I told you to watch what you s-"

"Wait." Marinette cut him off. "Damian, I knew yours even before I met Jon. Technically before I officially met you."

Jon stared wide-eyed. For once he was speechless. Meanwhile, Damian looked about ready to start rapid-firing questions and Marinette knew she'd panic and flee if he backed her into a corner.

"Please let me explain." Seeing Damian sit down, Marinette read as his sign of acquiescence. She nodded her thanks. "To start with, the Cheng family has had a curse as far back in our family tree as we can trace. It has been so many generations that we don't even have any stories to explain why. Every other generation of the Cheng family is cursed with a dual nature and form. This dual nature and form are that of a cat." Marinette took a quick steadying breath. "Damian, I am Lady, the cat you picked up off the streets one night as Robin." 

Marinette stopped focusing on Jon altogether. Her gaze was cautiously guarded as she watched the reactions and realizations flit behind his eyes.

"How could you just let me gr-"

"I did not let you!" Righteous indignation radiated off of Marinette. "You might recall that I tried to escape you several times. Short of transforming to human in a stranger's arms, naked I might add, I had no option but to let you haul me away."

Damian wilted at that.

"Wait..." he spoke hesitantly, "...so all those times, I met you on the rooftops?" 

Marinette softened. "Yes...I probably should have actively avoided you but...oh I don't know. I was reckless, lonely, and at the time I wasn't sure I wanted to remain human anymore. I've been...I've been so scared to try to make friends after what happened with Lila. It was...easier I suppose, to be a cat and gain unconditional affection from humans. I know it's stupid, but you don't understand the warring of instincts between human and cat. And...

...I'm sorry." Marinette dropped her head knowing that excuses did not erase her own mistakes, but she couldn't bear to see the rejection on Damian's face. He had let his guard down, around what he thought was simply a pretty cat. 

If Marinette had looked, she would have seen the startled blush tinging Damian's ears and the abject horror on Jon's. 

Damian's mind raced over his every encounter with the cat, that he should have realized sooner bore the same name as his friend. His mind replayed every detail and while he wanted to be upset that she had not revealed herself or avoided him better, he also remembered clear as day how most nights he was the one to snatch her up and keep her from taking off. And yet that one afternoon, the one where he had spilled his guts, not just about his family but about his feelings towards Marinette as well.

"You say the curse gives you the nature of a cat as well as the form?" Despite his chaotic thoughts and memories flashing through his mind, Damian still managed to piece together a question. He took note of how Marinette kept her head hung low. Every inch of her body language screamed fear of rejection.

"Yes, that is why it is a curse. We are forced to battle against one nature or the other, depending on what life we choose." Her hands trembled and she clenched them. She fought the urge to flee and become a cat as soon as she made it out a door. "Some of us struggle more than others...I've been struggling..." She trailed off unsure if her words were wanted or if they would make things worse.

Cass dropped beside her and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. When Marinette met her gaze, Cass nodded and Marinette took a deep breath.

"Back in Paris, I was pretending to have a normal life. I ignored my cat nature and it seemed not to be a problem in my life. But then...I was given the mantle of Ladybug."

Cass had to glare Damian and Jon into quiet submission. She knew that Marinette would find it difficult to continue if she was interrogated about this new development.

"The Guardian of the Miraculous did not know of my family's curse and gave me the Miraculous of Creation. I was told to keep my identity a secret or be forced to give up my position as Ladybug. Then I was essentially abandoned to the role with a partner who rarely took things seriously and it was my sole responsibility to be there to bring everyone back from un-existence, death, or whatever injuries they may have suffered. That burden and my craving for the Black Cat Miraculous led me to spend more time as a cat. I still had a handle on things until an ambassador's daughter came. Everything fell apart as she destroyed my civilian life through lies and manipulation. I was a cat every spare moment I had. I had to rebrand my designs after she and her minions tore apart my online store. I took on a select few clients and essentially started from the ground up. That's why MDC is so secretive and exclusive even now. I couldn't bear to give it up; it's the only thing that kept me somewhat human." 

The silence seemed to echo with the last of her words. Marinette still couldn't bear to look at Damian. She felt Cass' surprise at her Ladybug revelation, but the hand on her shoulder gave a supportive squeeze. Cass' thumb brushing back and forth in a small but soothing motion.

"Well that's certainly..." Jon sucked in a breath, "...a lot of information." He glanced at Damian who still seemed to be processing and then to the anxious Marinette.

"But I for one, have to laugh that these geniuses got found out by a cat," he finished with a chuckle. He ducked into a crouch to meet Marinette's eyes. "And I think you're pretty cool regardless. Now we don't have to pretend to be average citizens."

Marinette gave a flicker of a smile.

"You suck at that, by the way. I think you're even worse than I was at 13," she commented dryly. "And **that** is saying something."

Jon let out a full bellied laugh startling Damian and making Marinette smile a smile that quickly flickered out as her sharp gaze caught Damian's movement. While his face remained blank, his eyes carried a vast ocean of emotions unable to find one to settle on. Surprisingly to Marinette's notice, most of them seemed positive.

"You're like us. We can all stick together and help each other," Cass assured with a soft smile and half a hug.

Marinette smiled back tentatively.

"You hinted at being a vigilante. Back on that day we talked about incidents in Paris," Damian cut in. "You said that you couldn't afford to be akumatized."

"Yes."

"I can see how it might be a difficult topic to bring up in conversation." Damian seemed to struggle for more words. "And the cat thing too. You've made it this far without giving up despite the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's very...admirable."

Damian was beginning to stray into rambling territory and so Cass saved him.

"Just give her a hug already."

Damian complied, by opening his arms in an offer for a hug. He half expected Marinette to refuse, but instead he found himself nearly bowled over by her momentum. He actually had to take a step back to steady himself when she full on body slammed into his hug.

Damian wasn't a very touch-oriented person. He never had been, yet here, with Marinette. It was similar to those first days he finally let down his guard around Dick. He had fallen asleep in his brothers arms because for once in his life, he had felt safe in the presence of another human.

Marinette...

Marinette felt safe.

And Damian never wanted to let go of that feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Tis the end folks. And what a journey it has been.   
> I don't have a lot to say here because stuff is happening. Nothing terrible, just stuff so I didn't want to end up forgetting to post this.  
> Once again, thank you for all of your Reads, your Kudos, your Comments. I'm glad that so many people enjoyed this little side fic. And maybe I ended it too soon for y'all's tastes but tbh romance is not my strong suit considering my experience is long distance dating someone for like a month and then later on irl dating someone for like a month and going on maybe 3 dates before deciding that I'm really just not interested nor do I have the energy to invest in dating. I don't actually get crushes or feel attracted to people. Lol  
> But I'll do a little more in some epilogue bits so just let me know any ideas y'all have. I might use some and if I do I'll mention you as the inspiration.   
> And I CAN do romance it just doesn't come as easily. There's a lot of imagination on my part involved. It's easier for me to write scenes of people already in a relationship than the actual starting of the relationship.  
> But anywho now that I've rambled on a while, I'll leave y'all to it.  
> Thank you again for your support everyone!


End file.
